After irreparable rudder damage put a stop to his quest for victory in the Vendée Globe, British sailor Alex Thomson arrives safely to Cape Town onboard his IMOCA yacht.
Merci, pour d,avoir partager avec nous votre joie, vos efforts, votre vie sur le bateau, votre volonté durant vos réparations, votre tristesse de devoir stopper votre voyage. Vous êtes un excellent skipper et j,espère que vous pourrez à nouveau refaire le prochain Vendée Globe dans de bien meilleures conditions.
I said it before, i say it again: Alex is a legend and whenever he is back on the water...i will be there to support and follow. What a great Inspiration he is!!!
this race is only every 4 years?! that's ridiculous, i thought this would be every year. all the other championships are once a year, they need to fix it. it doesn't take 4 years to build a boat come on...
@@pratwurschtgulasch6662 the race takes 3 months. you can't launch an edition every year, impossible! after 3 months of racing they must recover. their direct preparation for the vendee globe is done 1 year before! I agree that 4 years is way too long. every 2 years it could be good i Sink
@@pratwurschtgulasch6662 yes, the next race is in 2024. It takes years to get the boat and sponsors together, then compete in the qualifying offshore races. It takes months of sea time to qualify. You can't just enter the Vendée.
@@pratwurschtgulasch6662 one year to set up campaign, find sponsors, building the team, one year concept and building the boat, and one season with as much as possible of practicing and testing with the boat.. yes, and probably even then you would not be fit to attend. Sir Gulasch, do not underrate their efforts please.
You do know we all love and admire you ever so much, and have suffered a great deal together with you, first when you had to perform the labour intensive mainetenance crammed inside the bow, and our excitement when it was done and fixed. From my part I have been revving up my heart for this race since 2016, and we all wish we could dillute your disappointments between all of us, collectivelly. We are countung on Hugo BOSS and Alex Thomson winning the Vendée Globe in 2024, and 2030, so, get back on your horse, and we will see you there!
You are the reason I started watching Vendee Globe Racing. This is an amazing competition with real sportsmen showing true grit and skill. More people should watch this and promote this sport. I know you will be back, and I look forward to seeing you out in the deep blue. Thank you.
Sorry you had to leave the race Alex but you are safe and sound and that means you can start planning the next attempt, thank you for flying the Union Jack high and proud , have a great Christmas with your family, and best of luck in the future
You're the tiger of the sea! :-) And your boat a speed and beautifull shark :-) It is all very hard but you will go up the hill. We know you're an authentic champion. We hope to see you next time. it's always wonderful to follow you, you make us dream. Thank you!
You might have missed this title but you haven’t missed our hearts, you will always be a inspiration for sailors and for anyone that wants to succeed in life. Sail safe and the boss will be back, on the waves and in our hearts.
i don't believe that you failed. Your attitude and enthusiasm in the face of adversity should be a lesson to us all. So with that, hold your head high and continue providing lessons to us all.
Your are a winner. Know that the disappointment is monumental, but you, yourself are a winner and a legend. You have become a role model for so many kids. You make the world a better place.
Alex, no matter the situation, your words are always heart felt, genuine and on the mark. You are a credit to your family, team and to Britain. Thank you for the way you allowed us to follow you in the run up to, and during this race. I waited 4 years for this to come. I look forward to following you in the future.
Thank God for your safe return, your humility and graciousness are inspirational. Hope to see you back out on the water soon, the yachting scene is a better place with you in it . Would great if you would come along and encourage all our budding young ocean sailors at Rona Sailing Project when circumstances permit - cheers Russ, tomorrows another day, you have taught me that !
An awful end, especially when you’d worked so hard to overcome the structural issues. You are a true statesman. Thank you for giving it a go, great effort. Waiting now for the next race.
Lots of respect, admiration, support for you Alex... I know the drill, somewhat.... The obstacle is the way... You will overcome, succeed beyond any measure... I am with you on that.... only a dream for me... but please pursue....
Sorry to see you didn't finish Alex ,I met you when you came to the race but during ramsgate rregattas week ,run by royal temple yacht club , Great to see you arrived safely expect your family are looking forward to the festive season with you .
pff, you are an absolute legend Alex. Your positive attitude is a perfect example of how I should deal with my own issues.. I am learning a lot from you. thank you for that 💪🏼
A true Champion is as gracious in defeat as he is happy in victory...you ARE a TRUE CHAMPION, you continue to display the greatest of sportsmanship, grace under fire and true humility. You are a great inspiration for all humanity especially in these very difficult times. Thank you & God speed!
I am very happy to see you safe. Soon home with family. You do have a fantastic team behind you along with many fans and well wishers as myself. Soon enough time for analysis and design changes for the boat. You are a legend. The next race belongs to you. Please keep us informed along the way about the boat. Prayers sent for you and family, your team and skippers afloat. Respect sent from Georgia USA.
All the best for the future Alex. We are all glad to see you safe and sound in SA. It has been a delight to watch you sail this Vendée Globe and I definitely hope you’ll do the next one. You are a great sailor and deserve to win this race one day. And that comes from a Frenchman 😁. All the best mate!
I love how selfless you are! Talking about the bravery and seamanship of others during one of the biggest hits in your life! The BOSS will be back, and i wish you the best of luck. Have a great chrimbo!
Thanks for your info, Alex. I'm so sorry for you! But I am very happy that you are now safe. You are such an incredible and very personable sportsman. I follow this exciting race around the world every day and I was so happy about the fantastic rescue of Kevin by Jean! I very much hope that everyone else will come back safely too. Of course, I keep my fingers crossed for Boris in particular for a successful race. I wish you a merry christmas at home with your family. Greetings from Germany, Karin
My respect and commendation for the incredible effort you have put into the race, my sincerest sympathies for the extraordinary bad luck you've had in having to abandon it. But there is always the next time and even if there isn't, it's so good to see you safe and well after a very difficult experience. Well done and safe home.
After your structural surgery in the bow and hearing how Kevin’s bow literally broke in half, I’m thankful you found the issue early and are safe today! Who knows if HB’s bow could have handled the same wave.... 4 years and Vendee will be yours Alex! Supporting you all the way!
Over the past few weeks every time I got down about something I would think about Alex out in the middle of an incomprehensibly huge and scary ocean, banging around inside a blacked out lunar lander with no sleep and no room to store his balls. It helped me fall asleep in my cozy bed and inspired me to get out of that bed in the morning. Please keep posting to The Hub. Love following your story in and out of the water.
I’m glad you are safe Sir The Escouffie situation demonstrated further the brutal nature of this epic event. You were required to save your craft from catastrophic loss and attempted to get back after a win at the time the rudder was damaged, there was a demasting and multiple cases of foils damaged throughout the fleet. Safety is paramount.
What you did there with that boat and under those circumstances, mate, has inspired thousands. I'd hate to see you in life threatening conditions but, please, please, keep doing it.
I had never followed a vendee before but I was cheering for you all the way so far and I will continue to follow you from now on. All the best from Germany!
You’re such a great man Alex! I feel so sorry for you and your team but I know you’ll carry on ! I cannot wait to see you winning the 2024 Vendée Globe! Stay safe
Thanks Alex for showing everyone what you do. This was my first time following the race and it won't be my last. All the best to you and your loved ones.
Great you made it back to port safe. Looking forward to following you on your next race. Heartbroken it didn't work out this time but I know you'll bounce back. Have a great Christmas with your family and thanks for the adventure. Keep the faith mate. 👍
1800 miles with a broken rudder on one side. Interesting hearing your description of sailing your incredible vessel that way. Just another WOW to Alex Thomson!! All the best. Hope to see you soon.
Alex you are a superstar mate. Well done on making it back safe and sound. Till your next adventure. We are all watching and waiting. Pure class. Pure inspiration.
You are so great! This is a gentlemens challange and you took it like one even if you where on the possitive side of success and others were not. Good to see you back in port safe! Merry christmas!
Thank you for this! Such an awful end, but I believe you taught so many, so much. I have learned a lot, not just sailing or about the Imoca's, but also about facing disappointment with grace amid genuine sadness.
Another masterclass in class. It's one thing to even attempt the Vendee. But to have disaster strike so early, keep your head and spirits up, tackle those first gruelling repairs under almost unimaginable conditions, accomplish something truly extraordinary, get back in the game, and then face a a final catastrophic event. And face it with dignity, composure and class. You've done something truly extraordinary Alex - in my mind more valuable than winning the Vendee - you've set an example and provided inspiration for so many people - and especially young people, that true Victory manifests herself in different guises, and not necessarily at the finish line. You should be proud of yourself, mate. I know many of us are...
Great to see you safe in Cape Town with HB, just unlucky, especially after the amazing repairs you carried out in such a positive way. Thanks for all the brilliant video. Your an inspiration.
all the best Alex, really enjoyed your part of Vendee Globe this time, cannot emphasise that enough to you, what a great ambassador for the sport you are, from all the fans, we will keep buying hugo boss for next four years so please come back again for the next one
You have the courage to make a lot of tough decisions; to make the right call and then follow it through...respect for that. You have and deserve the respect of everyone and we are all sorry your race ended so soon. As for the rescue of Kevin; it was agonising waiting to hear if he was safe - while the search for him went on, hour after hour and four brave skippers trawled the ocean looking for him...the backup teams at base searching all the weather information to help locate him, A brilliant joint effort and well done to Jean for his intuition and determination. As for that quiet time and then the chatting voices.....priceless.... we wish you all the best,
Ever the class-act!!! As a Canadian and non-sailor, I have become enthralled with sailing since stumbling upon this on RU-vid and I must say that Alex, you have inspired many no doubt, including myself. And the fact that you genuinely seem to be such a “good guy” is the icing on the cake. Safe travels and enjoy your time with family. I look forward to following posts as you build up a new Hugo Boss that will undoubtedly be stronger for the next VG. Cheers mate!
I was glued to my phone watching you racing in this Vendee, engaged in sport like I never was before. It was the first thing I did in the morning and the last thing I did at night, nearly to the point of divorce. Since you stopped racing it's more like once a day. I'm disappointed, but not with you, your boat or your team. It's just the way it is. You've been inspirational and you will be again the next time. And I will be ready with my phone. Bravo.
You are a fantastic sailor , yachtsman and inspiration to anyone who wants to succeed and has what you have . Self belief , humility and can do mentality. Thank you Alex and really good luck in all you go forward now to achieve
